In general, an interface device is a container or enclosure adapted to support connectors, wires, cables, and other hardware for connecting two or more systems or networks together. An interface device may be referred to according to the systems being connected. For example, an optical network terminal or a telecommunication interface device is commonly used to connect the internal telephone or cable network of a house or other building to an external grid or network of transmission wires and cables extending between residential or commercial buildings.
Typically, the interface device is mounted to the outside of the building. Regardless of the exact location of the interface, the building owner usually wants the interface to be as small as possible for storage and aesthetic purposes. However, small interface devices have limited storage capacity for hardware and provide little to no space for service technicians to work with the hardware contained within the interface device.
Even in applications where the limited space of a relative small interface device may be large enough to hold the necessary hardware today, the interface device may not be able to support new hardware for future upgrades or additional connections. Therefore it is likely that a typical interface device may have to be replaced in order to support upgrades or changes to the systems, which adds cost.
Regarding the service technicians, typically the walls or other components of the interface device impedes the access to the stored hardware by blocking or getting in the way of the hands or tools of the service technicians. A common problem is the side walls of the interface devices. Usually the hardware is set back and between two side walls of the interface device, when the service technician reaches in with a tool or hand, often the side walls block his or her hand or limit the movement of the tool between the side walls. Another problem may be the access panel of the interface device. Typically, the interface device has an access panel that may be opened along a hinge attached to the side of the interface device. However, even in an open state the access panel and the hinge may further impede access to the hardware in the interface device.